Re: Netscape not quite free

[Mark Hamstra <mark hamstra bentley com>]

On Thu, 22 Jan 1998, Richard Stallman wrote:

:Let's not rejoice prematurely.  Unfortunately, it looks like Netscape
:is NOT going to make the browser free software.  From
:http://www.internetnews.com/prod-news/1998/01/2204-free.html:
:
:       Netscape said it also plans to allow qualified partners to create a
:       customized version of Netscape Navigator or Netscape Communicator for
:       redistribution to users.
:
:If true, this implies that users will NOT in general have the freedom
:to distribute modified versions, which means that the program will NOT
:be free software.  So we still won't be allowed to use Netscape in a
:free operating system.

Perhaps it's not really that bad.  This statement by Netscape can just as
easily be read as implying the intent to save the name "Netscape Navigator"
or "Netscape Communicator" only for "official" versions built by Netscape or
"qualified partners."  It does not necessarily imply that users will not have
the freedom to distribute modified versions, but perhaps only that such 
modified versions would not be able to call themselves "Netscape Navigator"
or "Netscape Communicator" and would likely not be eligible for any support
offered by Netscape or other "official" support organs.

In effect, it could be only slightly different than Debian or Red Hat: the source
is all freely available, modifiable, and redistributable, but in order to "officially"
call it Debian or Red Hat, and in order for it to be entitled to complete support,
it has to be the real, unmodified version from the distributor or recognized
partners.

Mark Hamstra
Bentley Systems, Inc.